March 30, 2016

“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction." Psalm 1:6

As I write this week, I am looking at a Valentine’s Day card that Kenleigh gave me weeks ago. The card reads, “I’ve got my eye on you”. Isn’t that amazingly similar to what God says to us? God is always watching over us. Many times we get the feeling that God is only watching us to see what we do wrong. God watches us for many different reasons. However, we must remember that regardless of our actions, good or bad, God does see them all. Many have the mistaken idea that because we can hide things from people we can also hide things from God. God not only sees all the things that we do, He also knows the exact reason we do them.

All of this brings us to the word motive. A motive is the real reason that we do something. So many today are wearing themselves out because they are somehow trying to earn God’s favor. They believe that surely our deeds must help get us to Heaven. The truth is: we do good deeds because we are saved not because we believe they will add to what we already have in Christ. How many people do you know that struggle with grace? It is hard to understand that everything was made available to us at the cross. Jesus said, “It is finished”! Everything that Jesus came to accomplish was completed at the cross. What does that mean for us? It means that it is not a matter of working for God’s favor but a matter of accepting what has already been done for us!

Now, what is the reason we do things in the Kingdom? Is it only a matter of obligation that we believe will give us a little better standing in God’s eyes? Or, do we do things because we love God and desire that our actions please Him? God loves us! Remember this week that God truly has His eyes on us! If He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, we know that He is surely watching over us. We must learn to enjoy God’s grace and stop trying to accomplish something that has already been done. God truly watches over us because, as a loving Father, He desires the absolute best for His children. Any time He points out our wrongs, it is for our ultimate good. I’ve got to close with a great quote from C.S. Lewis. “The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men.” Praying you all have a great week!